Newfoundland

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luplodw

luplodw

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I can't stop looking at newfoundland websites. I'm obsessed. I want one soooo badly!! Has anyone had experience with them? Hopefully i'll be going to vet school next year. Is it a bad idea to get a dog in vet school? I really want to make sure my dog gets enough attention, but I really want a companion in school. It's been hard enough not having a dog in college!!
 
a lady i worked with a couple years ago had several newfies. she showed them and brought them to work a lot. they were so smart and really good dogs. she would tell them to lay down and they would stay there for hours.
 
I've had experience with a couple of them where I work. As they get older, their hips and joints get really weak. Also, they're not that great to groom. There are a lot of matts and hidden treasures that can get in that thick coat. I've met owners who are not up to the task of taking care of these dogs financially, so I would make sure to know the risks and be prepared for the worst.

Other than that, They can be really sweet guys. I'm personally a sucker for big dogs. 🙄
 
They are GREAT dogs, but (you knew there was one coming right😉) they have a pretty bad hip problem. You could pay LOTS of $$ for one from a good breeder and still have hip problems at 5 years of age. Someone I know has one (don't know how well they checked the breeder) and her hips were so bad she couldn't walk by the time she was a year old. Of course there is hip replacement sx, and some (maybe all) schools will cut back on the cost for students and sometimes defer full payment until the year after graduation. So if you really want one just know it could potentially be very expensive. Personally I'd take a great pyr🙂 They are lighter and seem to not be as hard on their joints, and I think they are big love bugs!
 
My family has 8 (yes, you read that right) Newfies so I'd say I have a little experience with the breed. They are amazing dogs- intelligent, good-natured, easy going, and very chill. 1 of the 8 will be coming with me when I (hopefully) head off to vet school next year, and I'm not at all worried about how he'll do. He's such a calm dog I'm sure he'll be fine with whatever attention I can provide him.

A lot of what has been said so far about joint problems with Newfies is true. They are (obviously) giant breed dogs, and so their joints do have to take a lot of force. There are a lot of things you can do to avoid these issues though. Most important is to get a puppy from a quality breeder. Parents (and grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc, ideally) should all have been OFA tested for hips AND elbows. Pennhip is another option for hips, though I personally prefer OFA. Look for mostly OFA excellents and goods. Make sure you double check what the breeder says on their website too. Their are some dishonest breeders out there who will tell you their dogs have good hips, but they may not have been tested at all. If you go to the OFA website, you can search their registry by the dogs' registered names and see their official OFA results.

Once you have your pup, make sure you feed a giant breed puppy food. Slow growth is essential for these guys, and giant breed puppy foods have reduced protein content to help keep them growing at an approriate rate. We also supplement all of our dogs with glucosamine and MSM.

The type of exercise that you choose for your Newfy can also help protect their joints. Newfies are bred to be water dogs, and swimming is excellent exercise for them because it is low impact on their joints. A newfy isn't the best choice for a running partner, the impact is hard on them and they tend to be a little on the lazy side 🙂

It's also true that they have pretty intense grooming requirements. They are double coated and can get pretty matted if not kept brushed (especially if they are going swimming frequently). However, as long as you keep up on it it really isn't that bad. Remember that it is absolutely essential that you never shave a Newfy (or any double coated breed dog, for that matter) as it causes irreparable damage to the hair coat.

If you have any other specific questions about Newfies, please feel free to ask me! They are truly a fantastic breed of dog and I really enjoy them!
 
I love Newfies, but I would never personally own one. One of my HS crew coaches had a Newf that she would bring to practice, and the dog would always jump out of the launch and swim after the boats, that dog LOVED swimming! She'd do laps around the dock and fetch balls in the water, she was amazing. She did have bowleg in her front feet though, so swimming was about all she could do.

I think the drooling and the coat were the main turnoffs for me, because her fur always stunk and it was hard to keep brushed (brushing such a large dog every day was apparently a lot of work, and even then she still had some knots and such). Plus in the Summer the poor dog was always overheated, but if you live in a cool environment then I see no issues.

But she was adorable and sweet and really intelligent, and they seem like they are calm enough to live in a smaller area given they get to swim frequently.
 
Newfies are such smart, wonderful dogs. They drool a lot. You'll have long and slimy pieces of slobber on many surfaces of your home including the walls, picture frames, and ceiling. It isn't for me, but I still think that they're great animals.

Look for a great breeder. There was some great advice above. They're prone to a lot of health problems so it's wise to do your homework when finding a breeder.

You might enjoy this website if you haven't found it already. It's a nice forum. It may take a day or two for you to be able to access all of the threads.

http://www.newf.net/ :luck:
 
I have a newfie named Beatrix. She is perfect, I rescued her about a year ago, she was a product of a BYB, her and her sisters and brothers were kept outside in (airline) kennels. they were covered in **** when animal control took them away, she was really small for her age, and malnourished.

It was pretty hard potty training her, because she had never been inside before. It took about two months of her being strapped to me on a leash, before i could trust her to roam around the room i was in without having an accident. About two more before i could trust her to roam around the house freely. She is doing really well on training, (I clicker train). After owning her, I think I will always own a Newf.

They can have joint problems, but I think they are totally worth the risk. As for the brushing thing, I have never had a problem with her. She loves to be brushed, And i love to brush:laugh: As long as you have a "brushing schedule" and don't go two months without a good comb through, you should be fine.
 
When I was a little kid in the Adirondacks, we had a "neighbodhood" Newfie. It seems bizarre now but he would just wander from yard to yard and was friendly to everyone, even preschool-aged me! I don't know that I'll ever choose to have a dog, but I still love Newfies.
 
I have had several, and we get them in the clinic here and there. They are absolutely my favorite dog. I lost one to cancer and two to the hip problem. They normally don't live as long as other dogs, which is heartbreaking.
 
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